Danish PM calls for full-face veil ban in educational institutions
These were the conclusions of the European Water Resilience Strategy, adopted on Wednesday in Brussels.
In 2022, out of 1,300 monitoring sites in Europe, 59% of rivers, 35% of lakes and 73% of coastal waters exceeded the environmental quality standard for perfluorooctanesulphonic acid (PFOS), a type of PFAS, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
In Europe, only 37% of surface waters are in good or very good ecological health and 29% have achieved good chemical status, according to the agency.
Environmental associations, which are campaigning for a ban on PFAS at the source, are denouncing this as a "missed opportunity".
"We expected to see more ambition to reduce pollution at the source," said Angeliki Lyssimachou, head of science and policy at the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are dubbed "forever chemicals" because they don't easily break down in the environment and accumulate in humans and animals over time.
Health costs are estimated at €52 to €84 billion a year and some of the chemicals have been classified as carcinogenic.
These chemical compounds are non-stick, waterproof and resistant to high temperatures. They are also present in many everyday items such as non-stick frying pans, fire-fighting foams and medical devices.
Jessika Roswall, the European Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resilience said she was in favour of banning PFAS in consumer products such as cosmetics and food packaging. However, she stressed that it would be difficult to ban all PFASs, as some do not yet have an effective alternative.
"The problem is that we need PFASs for many different products. For example, medical products like inhalers (...) or many things for which there is no substitution. In terms of the ecological transition, semiconductors, digitisation or the defence industry," Roswall told Euronews.
In a leaked document, the Commission's estimated range for the annual cost of PFAS decontamination in Europe was wide, at anywhere from €5 all the way to €100 billion. For the water sector alone, the cost could increase to up to €18 billion annually for drinking water treatment.
For some pollutants, such as TFA (trifluoroacetic acid, a type of PFAS), the clean-up is not so simple.
"According to the water companies, it's a very expensive process that involves extracting all the minerals from the water and adding them back. At the end of the day, you're going to lose a lot of water," says Angeliki Lyssimachou. "So you're going to consume a lot more energy.
The Commission wants to apply the "polluter pays" principle and reserve public funding for sites where it has not been possible to identify who is responsible.
The European Water Resilience Strategy aims to restore the water cycle and ensure access to clean, affordable water at a time when Europe is facing extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. 34% of the EU is affected by water shortages.
"Water is life. Water resilience is essential for our citizens, our farmers, the environment and businesses. The Commission's Water Resilience Strategy sets out the path towards a sustainable, resilient, smart and competitive water economy. We must act now to protect this resource," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement.
The European action plan also includes raising awareness for these issues through public debates, increasing European funding for infrastructure modernisation, supporting digitisation through the EU's Copernicus Earth observation programme, and supporting innovation.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has called on Thursday for stricter measures limiting religious symbols and rituals in education, asking for a ban on full-coverage veils worn by some Muslim women to be extended to schools and universities.
The country's overall ban on burkas and niqabs in public places, introduced in 2018, has not been applied to educational institutions.
However, Frederiksen, who is also the leader of the country's Social Democrats party, wants to change this, stating that limiting the ban in this way had been a mistake.
"There are gaps in the legislation that allow Muslim social control and oppression of women at educational institutions in Denmark," Frederiksen told domestic media. "You have the right to be a person of faith and practice your religion, but democracy takes precedence."
Meanwhile, opponents of the general ban, including civil society organisations such as Amnesty International, said it infringes on women's right to dress as they choose. "All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs," the NGO said in 2018.
The announcement is a direct response to recommendations from the Commission for the Forgotten Women's Struggle, which earlier this year called for action.
In 2022, the same government-formed commission proposed to impose a ban on the wearing of hijabs in primary schools to ensure 'that women with minority backgrounds can enjoy the same rights and freedoms as other Danish women'.
At the time, the ban proposal sparked a backlash and protests in Denmark. The plan was rejected in 2023.
Frederiksen also wants prayer rooms to be removed from educational institutions, objecting to the fact that they have been set up at several universities and colleges.
The Danish PM does not believe these rooms create inclusiveness, but rather "provide a breeding ground for discrimination and pressure", she explained.
While Frederiksen is not asking for an outright ban, she said that Minister for Education and Children Mattias Tesfaye and Minister for Higher Education Christina Egelund will enter into a dialogue with schools and universities about finding a common solution, and "clarify that prayer rooms do not belong there".
The Danish society cannot allow itself to be ruled by religious conservatism, Frederiksen told the domestic press.
"You're welcome to have your religion, but when you're at school, you're there to be at school and take part in your education," she concluded.
North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-un has once again affirmed his "unconditional support" for Russia's all-out war against Ukraine during a meeting with a top Russian official.
The authoritarian ruler made the comment during talks with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim reiterated his 'unconditional support for the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue", KCNA reported.
The two countries' ties have strengthened in recent years, with Pyongyang sending thousands of troops to Russia to participate in its war against Ukraine.
The North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia's Kursk region, parts of which were seized by the Ukrainian army in a surprise offensive last August.
Speculation about North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia first arose at the end of 2024, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korean officials accusing Pyongyang of sending soldiers to support Moscow's war efforts.
However, it wasn't until April that Moscow and Pyongyang officially confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on the battlefield.
A monitoring group comprising South Korea, the US, Japan and eight other countries last week classified Russia and North Korea's military alliance as 'illegal", saying it flagrantly violates UN sanctions.
The report said their pact was allowing North Korea to fund its banned ballistic missile programme.
The group also expressed concern that Russia might also transfer sophisticated technologies to help North Korea enhance its nuclear weapons programme.
In late April, North Korea unveiled the country's first naval destroyer, named the Choe Hyon, which experts say was likely built with Russian assistance, in further proof of growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
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